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Monthly Archives: February 2009

“Ah, my old friend. I can see him now in his press conference saying, ‘I have a good record against Manchester.’ Some people don’t like him because he is impertinent, too sure of himself. Me, I like him a lot.” The man doing the talking is Sir Alex Ferguson and the old friend under discussion is, of course, José Mourinho, the self-anointed Special One.

The Manchester United manager even referred to that title on arrival in Milan yesterday and not with the derision that might have been expected when they first sat down in the manager’s office at Stamford Bridge in August 2004. Ferguson’s hackles were raised not so much by the smell of defeat, but by the whiff from the cheap bottle of Argentine Shiraz his host was uncorking.

Ferguson v Mourinho. Everything about the men says that it should be the most bitter of all the many managerial rivalries on Planet Football. In terms of image (Armani overcoat, 5 o’clock shadow, endless posturing), background (born to a bourgeois family whose fortunes dipped after the demise of the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal in the 1970s) and, above all, football ethos (if you want entertainment, go to the circus), Mourinho seems to stand for just about everything Ferguson holds abhorrent.

But they were at it again at their respective press conferences in Milan yesterday, the grizzled Scottish empire-builder and the suave Portuguese itinerant exchanging compliments, rather than the barbs both have been known to aim at a common adversary, Arsène Wenger.

When they come together on the touchline at the San Siro this evening, the Champions League theme blaring around them, it will be their first such meeting since Mourinho left Chelsea in September 2007. There have been encounters at Uefa coaching forums and the like and, most recently, when Mourinho went on a scouting mission to watch United defeat Chelsea 3-0 at

Old Trafford, but United’s visit to Inter Milan sees the renewal of that strange competitive rivalry — the one in which Mourinho always shows deference, addressing the elder statesman as “Boss”, before sending out his team to nullify and ultimately overpower United, as he will hope that his Inter team can do today.

It has been a long time since Ferguson has endured the kind of evening that Mourinho hopes to have in store for him today. United have not tasted defeat in 19 Champions League matches since their previous visit to the San Siro, for the chastening 3-0 loss to AC Milan in the semi-final, second leg in May 2007. That was a night that Ferguson continues to look back on ruefully, bemoaning the fatigue that had swept his squad and the injuries to Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Patrice Evra that forced him to rush back a half-fit Nemanja Vidic into a makeshift defence. With Neville, Vidic, Wes Brown and Rafael Da Silva missing this time and with concerns over Jonny Evans and John O’Shea, it is not only the surroundings that might have given some of Ferguson’s players an unwelcome sense of déjà vu as they trained at the stadium last night.

As well as the lack of maturity shown in a self-indulgent display on that occasion by Cristiano Ronaldo, which the United manager quite surprisingly brought up at last night’s press conference, Ferguson often recalls how his makeshift team were blown away that night, above all by the flair of Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Kaká. Inter do not have such artists at their disposal — and it is tempting to wonder whether Mourinho, if he had inherited them, might have driven them away by now — but they do have Zlatan Ibrahimovic, an enigma of a forward, whom Ferguson picked out as “without question, their star player”.

Even more talented and even more languid than Dimitar Berbatov, Ibrahimovic has never quite lived up to his hype in the Champions League — particularly against English opponents, having played poorly in matches against Liverpool, in 2005 and 2008, and Arsenal — or, save for a spectacular back-heel equaliser against Italy for Sweden in Euro 2004, on the international stage, but, increasingly, the penny has dropped.

“I have watched him for many years and, now that he has developed and he’s at an age [27] where you expect a bit of maturity, he’s getting all the praise he deserves,” Ferguson said. That praise has included Mourinho calling him the best player in the world — comparable to Ronaldo, his Portuguese compatriot.

With Ronaldo having been frustrated by his struggle to reproduce the form of the previous two stellar campaigns, it seemed telling that he was given a public reminder yesterday by Ferguson of what is expected of him.

It will not be easy this evening; experience tells United, but above all Ronaldo, that playing against a Mourinho team is rarely fruitful and less often enjoyable.

His teams’ styles are not everyone’s idea of a sporting idyll, least of all Ferguson’s, but, whatever the outcome in this collision of cultures, expect the victor to be toasted with a bottle of fine wine, because, if there is one thing Mourinho has learnt over the past five years, it is that only the best bottle is good enough for the Boss.

The battle of the season i’d say. these are among the three of my favourite club managers. Mourinho vs Ferguson. They have the right character to lead a team. Best strategist. An excellent motivator.

But for tonight’s game, i wish Manchester United triumph. I have been a big fan of this club since i was a kid. 1992. Eric Cantona. Then i’ve seen Giggs, Scholes, Neville, and O’Shea, Brown grew with me. It was Ferguson back then. And today, he is still there.

Owh i did mention “three of my best club managers”. These are those three guys:

Sir Alex Ferguson – his discipline is what i like most. none dares to go against him. he’s da boss. and if they do, they won’t be long there. his ability to control his enormous group of great talents makes him the finest of them. and this guy knows very well how to pick his scouts. they’ve scouted talented players from all over the world. and these yound players have been a great foundation for the future Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho – what i like this guy most is his words. arrogant and bold. yet he knows every word he says. he meant every words. master at giving psychological pressure to his opponents. i have followed him since he started with Porto. great excellent character.

Arsene Wenger – apart from those two, he had a hard time to get as much trophy. i like him because he dares to bring up those young new players to play against the big boys. and those players did well. and not only they did well, their gameplay was awesome sometimes. but experience is one big factor especially in crucial games during crucial times. yet these boys excels.. one day they will be a great team. just hoping that Manchester United will be greater.. =p

There are others. but these are my top three. why i mention “club managers” and not “managers”? i do not want to include those national team coaches. it’s a different way of doing things. Scolari did well with Brazil and Portugal but not that well with Chelsea. National team is a different style altogether. Anyway, these are my preferred three club managers..

ATHENS, Greece (CNN) — A manhunt was under way Sunday for two inmates who escaped a maximum-security prison when a helicopter plucked them from the roof, Greek officials said.

The escape played out like a Hollywood action film and was the second such flight to freedom by one of the men.

It began at about 3:30 p.m. when two men hijacked a helicopter from Athens International Airport, ordering the pilot to fly to Korydallos Prison, located in a suburb of Athens, Greek state media reported.

The helicopter hovered over the roof of a prison compound where inmates Nikos Paleokostas, 42, and Alket Riza, 34, were located, and rope ladders were unfurled. The prisoners climbed into the helicopter and escaped, Greece‘s Justice Ministry said.

Prison guards shot at the helicopter during the escape, witnesses told local media.

No injuries were reported.

The pilot was found gagged near the helicopter north of Athens, a state-run media report said.

The inmates and the unidentified accomplices had not been located, Greek authorities said.

“I will not tolerate this embarrassment and all necessary measures will be taken, no matter how stringent they may be,” Justice Minister Nikos Dendias told CNN.

The prison break by helicopter is the second for Paleokostas, who was convicted for abducting a businessman and escaped the prison the first time in June 2006. He was recaptured several months later.

NASA’s Swift Gamma-Ray Explorer satellite took this shot of Comet Lulin on Jan. 28, and regular folks may be able to catch their own glimpse with binoculars in a few days.

The image was taken as the comet was passing through the constellation Libra, 100 million miles from Earth and 115 million miles from the sun. It combines data from Swift’s optical and ultraviolet telescope (the blue colors) and its X-ray telescope (red). The star-field background comes from a Digital Sky Survey image.

Lulin’s tail — grit and grains from the comet’s rock-and-ice surface pushed off into space by solar radiation — extends to the right. Lulin is shedding 800 gallons of water every second, according to NASA astronomers. That’s enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool in less than 15 minutes.

Solar radiation also breaks comet water down into hydroxyl particles, composed of one oxygen and one hydrogen atom. Swift determined that the hydroxyl cloud around Lulin is about 250,000 miles wide, slightly greater than the distance from the Earth to the moon.

Lulin, discovered in July 2007, is now visible to the naked eye in dark, rural skies. But the view will get better: On the night of Feb. 23, Lulin will pass within 38 million miles of Earth, appearing about 2 degrees south-southwest of Saturn in the night sky. Stargazers with binoculars should get a good look. By mid-March, Lulin will have zoomed off into deep space and out of sight.

Ernest Lawrence, a Berkeley inventor of the cyclotron, would love to hear this story. His invention has not only enriched uranium for The Bomb, but will now be used for clinical applications.

Varian Medical Systems out of Palo Alto, California just received the European CE Mark of approval for the company’s Proton Therapy System. Maybe the largest and most expensive medical device, the 250 mega-electron volt proton accelerator requires its own building. The advantage, of course, is the ability to precisely target tumors, as protons have a much shorter and predictable range of energy delivery than photons.

From Varian, here are the components you’ll be getting in the package:

Improved manufacturing techniques mean that the lightweight, compact size helps reduce the total cost of ownership. In addition, superconducting magnet coils result in high extraction efficiency, low energy consumption, excellent reliability, and an overall reduction in operating costs and maintenance.

Unlike some other accelerators, the superconducting cyclotron, behaves in a very linear and predictable manner. This allows for complete automation and eliminates the need for routine operators.

Beam transport system

The proton accelerator is connected to one or multiple treatment rooms by the beam transport system (BTS). The BTS is segmented so that additional treatment rooms can be added to the system later, providing scalability to treat more patients as the clinic grows.

A key element of the BTS is the energy selection system (ESS). The ESS transforms the energy of the beam that the cyclotron produces from 250 MeV particles to the desired treatment energy between 250 MeV and 70 MeV. This translates to a possible range of range of 36.5–4.0 cm in water. Range shifters directly in front of the patient can be used to reduce the range to under 4.0 cm.

The ESS is used to set and verify the beam energy and spread to guarantee optimal treatment precision. The ESS is located close to the particle accelerator and outside the treatment rooms. This eliminates neutron production in the treatment room.

The BTS consists of a beam tube under vacuum and with a variety of magnets. Quadruple magnets are used to focus the proton beam and dipole magnets are used to deflect the beam to the selected treatment room. The magnets of the BTS system are tuned automatically by the control system to accommodate the selected treatment room, energy, and size of the beam.

Treatment Rooms

Varian’s proton therapy delivery system is modular and the number of treatment rooms scalable. It is possible to start with a single-room system that can be expanded to a multi-room facility later. Two types of treatment rooms are available, which can be combined in any desired ratio to match patient demand.

Gantry beam rooms are similar to the Varian® Clinac® and Trilogy™ gantries in which the beam can be fully rotated around the isocenter point. The proton gantry in combination with the treatment table offers the flexibility to select any desired beam angle for optimal beam delivery.

Fixed beam rooms offer a horizontal beam that can be optimized for eye, head, and neck treatments or be combined with a versatile treatment table for a variety of dedicated treatments.

Gantry

A gantry is a steel structure that houses the final section of the BTS and the delivery “nozzle.” The gantry rotates around the patient, delivering the beam at the desired angle. The combination of a gantry and treatment table offers the flexibility to treat patients from all angles. The unique mechanical design of the Varian gantry—two large roller bearings for support, balanced with counterweights—provides exceptional mechanical rigidity. The operator can select an angular position with a precision of ± 0.1°.

The Varian proton gantry can be equipped with one of two types of beam delivery systems, also called “nozzles.” The nozzle is equipped with motion sensors to help ensure patient safety. Alerts sound if these sensors detect if the gantry nozzle and patient come too close and the motion of the gantry and the table is slowed down. Additional contact sensors are hard-wired to emergency brakes.

Standard table

The treatment table support is located in front of the gantry as an integral part of the gantry enclosure. The treatment table, nozzle contour, and diagnostic equipment positioned close to the patient are optimized to achieve a 4-π treatment-angle range as far as possible. All patient tables are equipped with six numerically controlled axes, and bending due to patient weight will be automatically detected and corrected.

i read through this couple of times. pretty interesting. hope our hospitals would have this as well. with this development seems like cancer can now be cured. tumors can go away.. im not a medic guy. dont know much on these, only that cancer kills.i like the invention part here..

God of War III — the last installment of the multi-million unit franchise exclusively on the Playstation 3 — is coming ever-closer to its epic release in the latter-half of 2009. The game’s depth of scale that is four times larger than its predecessor on the Playstation 2, God of War II. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment’s, Santa Monica Studios, God of War III will bring epic battles to life with stunning graphics and an elaborate plot that puts Kratos at the center of the carnage and destruction as he seeks revenge against the Gods who have betrayed him.

“We have large shoes to fill following the success of the previously released God of War titles,” said Stig Asmussen, Game Director for God of War III. “But with refined gameplay and jaw-dropping visuals, I guarantee that God of War will give fans what they have been eagerly waiting for, and much more.”

Set in the realm of Greek mythology, God of War III is a single-player game that allows players to take on the climatic role of the ex-Spartan warrior, Kratos, as he treads through the intimidating heights of Mt. Olympus and the dark depths of Hell once more to seek revenge on those who have betrayed him. Armed with double-chained blades, Kratos must take on mythology’s darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles throughout his merciless quest to destroy Olympus.

Utilizing a new game engine built from the ground up and state-of-the-art visual technologies, the development team behind God of War III have made significant strides in giving players the realistic feel of actually being on the battlegrounds. With texture resolutions being quadrupled since God of War II,God of War III will feature fluid, life-like characters, as well as dynamic lighting effects, a robust weapon system, and world-changing scenarios that will truly bring unmistakable realism to Kratos’ fateful quest. Players will have a chance to join battles on a grand scale with many more enemies on-screen and be able to interact with levels like never before.

Key Features

God of War III is the epic conclusion to the Greek mythological trilogy which will complete Kratos’ story that began in the original title for the PlayStation®2.

True to the series roots, the four pillars of gameplay – brutal combat, intricate puzzles, exploration of awe-inspiring worlds, and a compelling story – all return to make God of War III the ultimate experience.

God of War III picks up exactly where the action of God of War II left off – Kratos must take his quest for vengeance to the very stronghold of the Zeus. As the Army of Olympus surges out to meet him in battle and the chaos of the Great War is reignited, Kratos must scale the summit of Mount Olympus on the back of the mighty Titan Gaia, leading his new colossal allies in an all out assault on the Olympians.

The menacing creatures of Greek mythology in God of War III are not only targets of Kratos’ brutal destruction, but can now be manipulated against their will, as he uses them to cross chasms, inflict blind rage against enemies, reveal puzzles and secrets, and as tools of complete annihilation as he makes his way on a quest fueled by hate and vengeance.

As Kratos continues on his path of revenge, he will uncover new deadly weapons like the Cestus, powerful metal gauntlets with devastating strength, and other brutal instruments of war that will allow him to learn ruthless new techniques such as grappling with enemies and launching explosive wall to ground attacks.

Built from the ground up, the brand new engine that powers God of War III was designed for one main purpose – to achieve a level of scale never thought possible. Kratos can now carve through armies of enemies while navigating on the back of a ‘living level’ – a massive, moving, breathing Titan as tall as the Empire State building.

The PS3 capabilities have allowed the developers to bring the world of God of War to life like never before. Battling in detailed and unique 3D worlds lit by hundreds of dynamic lights and featuring textures with quadruple the resolution, Kratos and his enemies now feature realistic muscle striations, detailed facial expressions, and new heightened levels of brutality and gore.

Woman and guys with belt-holsters had it right—it’s better to keep your phone away from your body.

The NYT quotes the editor of Battery University as saying cellphone batteries last longer if they’re kept cooler. Cooler, as in not at your body temperature. So, if you’re really running low on juice during the day, get a holster or a purse. Plus, you should probably keep your junk cool and away from your cellphone if you ever want to have kids either. It’s win/win.

There are other tips such as shoving a wet phone in rice, putting a car alarm fob up to your chin and freezing a broken hard drive we’ve seen before, but head on over if you need a refresher.

not sure if i can agree with this.. how much longer will it go? wouldn’t do it for just a couple of hours then.. this enhances the chance of the phone being stolen.. but anyhow this is a good suggestion. the idea is there.